Running Dawn
by MixFlight
Summary: Dawnkit was taken from her clan by a Hawk. She was saved by 3 cats of a different clan. Now joined she shall train to be one of them, and to find her home again. Friends and Foes will be made. Cats murdered as she tries to find out why. Finding her home is her priority, but some cat is trying to stop her from making the choice of a lifetime. (Please read and review. T for violence)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Dawnkit ran through the center of camp, laughing. She was tackled by her friend, Novakit. The dark blue-gray tom looked down at her with a grin. She kicked him off, and tackled him back, purring with amusement as he blinked.  
His eyes got wider with fear glittering in them. He shoved her off, and ran to the shady, protected, ring of brambles around the camp. Dawnkit suddenly noticed that all the other cats were running there too – everyone except her.  
"Dawnkit!" some cat screeched, and the light gray she-kit turned to see her mother. She started running to her, running to her Clanmates, running to safety…  
Pain.  
Pain shot though her sides, and she was swooped off the ground. Dawnkit blinked her ocean blue eyes, and everything seemed to go in slow motion. She stared at the ground, confused.  
What in StarClan is happening to me? she wondered.  
Higher and higher she went, and she closed her eyes. A sudden blast of wind made them open, and she saw her father leap onto the rock where the leader made announcements from. He reached his outstretched paws to grab her.  
Short.  
Her father came up short, and one of her dainty paws touched his as he fell back down.  
But Dawnkit kept on flying, and she turned to see talons gripping her fur.  
Hawk talons.  
She looked up, and saw the hawk the talons belonged to. Dawnkit turned, and cried out, "Help! Daddy, Mommy! Help me, please!"  
Each word was breaking down the walls that kept her from crying. The walls shattered into a million pieces, and Dawnkit was crying, her tears falling swiftly to the ground.  
She could just see some of her tears fall into one of the little dips in the one of the rocks in the shaded part of camp, sitting there in the cool rock.  
Their last remnant of me, Dawnkit thought sadly, all in a little dip. Everything sped up, like she was still running through her Clan's camp, playing with Novakit.  
But she wasn't in the camp anymore, she was flying, and the camp was was going farther away.

She looked at the camp, blurry due to her tears. Her tears fell to the mountains below. She stared at the trees near their camp, they rustled. They were climbing the trees to see where she was, where she was going. Soon the camp was just a dot in the distance. She closed her eyes, and cried herself to sleep. She felt herself slammed into something and she woke up in a nest. The hawks nest. She scrambled to get up then to one end of the nest and cowered there. The hawk landed , waking it's chicks behind it. She stared at it and closed her eyes, waiting for the pain, then her death. She felt the nest shake and the hawk screech. She opened her eyes and a black cat was battling the hawk. His fur was short and messy and he had red marks on his face and shoulders. 2 more cats jumped over, a ginger she with lighter paws, chest, tail tip, and ears with the same red markings, and a brown tabby tom with black spots and red marks. They attacked the hawk until it shuddered and went still. The leapt off the hawk and saw her. The chicks peeped behind them and the tabby hissed at them and they went silent. The black tom whispered to his 2 ally's and looked back at her.

"I'm Dusk. This is Red and Thorn. We are from RuneClan, a clan not linked to the others. We depend on each other, and ourselves. Who are you?" The tom said, his voice thick.

"I'm Dawnkit..." She squeaked and he nodded.

She looked at his red marks, they weren't blood, but berry juice. He had a line under each eye one on his muzzle and chin, and his ear tips. He had a paw print on his shoulder with 1 apprentice sized paw print on one side, and 2 kit sized paw prints on the other. Red had the same paw print but had 1 apprentice sized on. The marks on her face were on the tips of her ears, on her chin and muzzle, and on the sides of her face. The brown tabby had the same facial markings as Dusk but the same paw marks as Red.

"Come with us, you are to walk though. It will help your strength." The black tom, Dusk, mewed.

He leapt onto the mountain, out of the nest and started walking. Red and Thorn carried the hawk and Dawnkit ran to catch up with them. She trotted next to Dusk and noticed how slim they were, yet strong. They looked well fed, like nothing bothered them, minus the birds. She looked at Red and Thorn behind her then felt herself get grabbed by the scruff. Red and Thorn turned down a tunnel in the side of the mountain, disappearing. Dawnkit look to Dusk's legs and he was walking on a path wide enough for only 1 cat. She looked to her right and saw a drop. A pool of water at the bottom, but still a drop.

He set her down and they walked a little monger and took a sharp left turn. Walking a little he turned and walked into a cave entrance and she followed. After a little they entered a wide area with cave entrances on the walls. Dusk walked to a entrance which had 2 paws and 2 kit sized paws in red. The kit sized paws were on each side of the big paws. Dusk walked out with a snowy white she-cat who had light gray paws, underbelly, muzzle, tail tip, ears and had a big belly, obviously heavy with kits. Dusk whispered to her and she nodded.

"I'm Snowy. This is the kit-Care den, or Nursery as you would call it. I will care for you until you become a trainee, or apprentice. Just think of me as your second mom." The she, Snowy, said.

Dawnkit nodded and she turned walking back into the nursery, Kit-Care den. Dusk started walking again and she followed. He jumped onto a large flat rock which had another cave entrance covered in ivy. Dusk walked in and Dawn looked around. She saw a path leading up the wall to a little jut out of the wall. The roof still very high over their heads. Dusk walked out with a tom who had a star shape on his muzzle. Dusk whispered and pointed to Dawnkit and she sat there shyly. He was dark gray with a brown underbelly and paws. the star was white and he had black around his eyes. His toes were black while from the black to just above his ankle was a lighter brown.

The tom turned and walked up the path and Dawnkit sat next to Dusk. The tom sat on the jut and looked around.

"RUNECLAN, GATHER." He howled and cats gather around the base of the jut, staring up at him.

"We have new coming kit. She is named Dawnkit and was taken from one of the far clans by a hawk. Dusk, Red, and Thorn killed the hawk, saving her. Her name shall be Dawn and she is one of us. Her fur is to be groomed short. Dawn, your fur will soon adapt to being short. Dismissed."

He howled and the clan yelled Dawnkit's new name once. Dawn. She liked the name, still loved it. It had always been her name. The leader padded over and looked at her.

"I'm SplashStar, the leader. Welcome, to RuneClan."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Dawn leapt down and walked over to the Kit-Care den. Snowy greeted her and walked in. There was 1 other queen with 3 kits, 2 toms and a she. "Alright everyone, there is a new kit if you didn't here. Her name is Dawn. Treat her kindly, she is one of us now." Snowy said and they all squeaked an ok. Dawn looked at the girl and her eyes glittered with happiness, but not the very happy, a weird happy. All the kits had marks on their faces so she guessed she would get hers soon. The other queen, a white she with brown, gold, and black spots padded over. "I'm Leaf. These are my kits in order from left to right." She mewed. Her voice was like honey, and she was so beautiful. She made Dawn feel at home. "Kits." She said and they lined up, the girl on the left. "Smoke, Dust, and Owl. This is Dawn." Leaf said and she nodded.

She noticed Smoke watching her mother. "Oh Snowy we should go to the Healer for a check up to see how long it..." Leaf mewed but the rest of the conversation was gone as soon as they were out of sight. Dawn watched them then felt something tackle her. She felt a stinging pain in her sides and looked up. Smoke. She wriggled under her weight and squeaked in protest. "I found a mouse it seems! Not a kit no no, a MOUSE." She said, bad intent coating her voice. "Let me up!" Dawn squeaked. "Nope, you are my prey. You are mine..." She said looking her into the eyes and Dawn shuddered. She slid her paws next to her. Using all her strength, she pushed herself up knocking Smoke off, taking a bit of her pelt with her. Owl and Dust trotted over and looked at her. Dawn fell, her legs felt weak from pushing off such weight. Owl and Dust put their heads under her forelegs and her beck legs over their flanks and walked over to Snowy's nest. They set her down and she landed on a shoulder and hissed in pain. Smoke stalked over and hissed. "If you think you can shake me off every time you're wrong. You're pitiful and weak. You need to GROW UP!" She spat. Owl tackled her and hissed at her. "Didn't you hear mom? BE NICE. Snowy AND RuneStar said it to so knock it off." Owl spat.

Smoke shoved him off and stalked off to a corner and disappeared. Snowy and Leaf walked back in and saw her bleeding shoulders. Snowy immediately licked her shoulders. "OWW! That hurts..." Dawn said, Snowy's rough tongue licking her. "Come on, to the Healer." She said and picked her up. She trotted across the cave to another cave entrance with 2 paws and leaf's in the red berry juice. "Rush? I'm back sorry. Dawn got hurt. And since she's here she might as well get her marks." Snowy said walked around a bend into a little clearing with a stream running through it. A small cave entrance to the right and to the left. Moss and feather nests on the other side of the river. A calico tom padded out and sighed. He disappeared as Snowy set her in one of the nests. "Fhath faphend?" HE mewed through a mouthful of leaves. "What?" Dawn said. "What happened?" He repeated dropping the herbs on a flat stone. "Smoke attacked me digging her claws into my shoulders and I flung her off after a while because i had to muster up the strength." Dawn mewed and he nodded as she saw him crushing and rolling with his paws. He could take some water in a broad leaf and pour a little on the leaf mixture. She watched him and he put it on her shoulders. "Ow." She hissed at the sting and he placed cobwebs over it.

"Don't play to much, and Snowy, tell Smoke to stop. Next time tell the leader, all the Smoke based injuries are starting my nerves. I mean Dawn just got here too." Rush said and disappeared down a different hole. "Bye!" He called back. "Bye!" Snowy mewed picking up Dawn. She padded over to the nursery then turned back around and trotted back. "Markings?" Rush said padding out. "Marfhings." Snowy said through Dawn's scruff. She set her down in the nest again and Rush came back with a stone dip, that he could walk around with. He set it down and dipped his paw in and put the markings on her face. The juice felt cool on her fur. "Alright, bye." Rush said disappearing down the herb cave. Snowy didn't bother staying and picked her up and trotted to the nursery where Owl was writhing on the ground in pain and Smoke was getting scolded. Snowy set down Dawn who ran over to Owl. "What happened?" She heard Snowy mew to Leaf. "Smoke attacked him and drew blood." Leaf mewed. She turned to Smoke. "Again Smoke? Why are you like this? Stop hurting your brothers and the other kits and apprentices! I am sick of it, they are sick of it, Snowy is sick of it, and so is Rush. Just stop! I don't want Snowy's kits to have scratches on them and die the first few days ok!? Get yourself together!" Leaf yelled and Dawn was surprised at how angry she was. Apparently Smoke Has been annoying everyone. Smoke glared at her mother, sadness and anger glinting in her eyes and she turned and disappeared into her kit sized hole. Leaf stuck a small finch in there and a leaf of water and stuck a rock in the way of the entrance.

Dawn was licking Owl's wounds and he and stopped and was falling asleep. "I will take him to Rush, AGAIN." Leaf said. Her honey voice on edge. She picked up Owl and trotted out of the den with Dust on her heels. "Let's get some rest. You must be tired." Snowy said and went into her nest, Dawn curling up next to her. "Good night Snowy." "Night dear..." Snowy mewed then fell asleep. Dawn closed her eyes and drifted off into a much needed, sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Dawn awoke to a howl. She crept out of her bed and over to the entrance of the Kit-Care den. She looked out, her head making a slight disturbance. She looked back at her sand Snowy's nest. Snowy wasn't there.

'Where is she?' Dawn thought and looked at Leaf's nest. She was there and so were the others. She looked out again and saw some warriors crawling from their den. It seemed like it was most of them. She watched them as they climbed onto the roof of the cave and pulled themselves close to the stone, like bats. She looked to the cave entrance and moonlight filtered through. A pair of glowing eyes appeared, then another, and another. They were getting closer until the silhouettes appeared. Wolves. Dawn heard muffled cries from the Healer's den. The wolves perked there ears and stalked towards the Healers den. A few started towards the Kit-Care den and the Trainee's den.

'No!' Dawn thought and turned and scampered into the Kit-Care den. She jumped on Leaf. Leaf grumbled and opened her eyes to look at Dawn.

"What are you do-" She mumbled then Dawn put her tail in her mouth.

"Wolves. Coming towards the den, hide." Dawn whispered and Leaf nodded. HSe woke her kits but her tail on their mouths. They looked at her.

"Wolves, cave now." She whispered and they scampered the corner where Smoke always hid herself.

"C'mon Dawn!" Owl whispered and Dawn scampered over. She turned and looked at Leaf who did what the warriors did and pulled herself into a hole in the roof. Dawn pushed the rock to block the passage then slid in and pushed it in the way, leaving a crack to see. She turned and in the small little cave there was a leaf of water and a mouse. It was big enough for two more kits plus them. There were also small little nests for them and Dawn watched as the wolf entered. She heard yowls from the main cave and the wolf perked up and ran out.

"Guys lets go watch them fight!" Smoke whispered shoving the stone and scampering to the entrance. They followed her reluctantly and watched as the warriors dropped from the roof landing on the wolves taking them down. Two wolves were dead by the time they retreated. A few warriors lay panting on the ground. Rush trotted out with herbs and started to treat them. Smoke, Owl, and Dawn trotted out and looked. Warriors and deep cuts, blood oozing out. Some had bite marks and you could see down to the bone. While Smoke and Owl went to check out a warrior Dawn trotted into the Healer's den and saw Snowy sitting there. Her belly wasn't so fat and she sat with kits.

"These are your new siblings... three of them. She saw a tom with the same pelt as her but he had dark gray and dark bluish gray patterns o his paws, underbelly, and tail. His head is dark gray and he has a mask pattern that is dark bluish gray.

"Smoky... the tom." She mewed pointing to the only tom.

"Good choice... and what about this one." Snowy mewed pointing to a white she with dusk colored spots and stripes.

"Storm." Dawn replied after thinking for a second and Snowy smiled.

"This one.." She mewed not looking up from her kits. This she was the color of Dusk with white paws, underbelly, tail spots, ears, and muzzle. There were light gray dapples in the white so Dawn thought.

"Dapple." A tom mewed and Dawn turned around. it was Dusk.

"Hi Dusk..." Dawn mewed. "Snowy, are you ok? Did the wolves get you?" He mewed walking over to her.

"No, the kits are ok too. Dapple looks like you..." She whispered. Then it hit her. Dusk was Snowy's mate, which is why he asked Snowy to care for her.

"So Dusk is my half father?" Dawn piped up.

"Yes. I see you got your markings." Dusk mewed standing. She nodded and Dusk sat. She noticed he had a deep bite in his back.

"Dusk, your bleeding!" She mewed and ran to get Rush when something clamped on her tail.

"He is getting me last. Snowy take the kits to the nursery." Dusk mewed and Snowy picked up Smoky and Storm. Dawn picked up Dapple and laid her on her back. She walked out when there was a cry.

"Smoke's gone! She disappeared!" Leaf cried Owl and Dust with her, fear in their eyes. Snowy bent down and beckoned to her back. Dawn placed Dapple on Snowy's back and ran over.

"Are you sure!?" She asked Owl. He nodded vigorously.

"The wolves didn't get her because we came out of the nursery after they were chased away." Owl mewed to Dusk who walked over.

"Flash, Red, Thorn, and Ice, we are going on a patrol. Lets go." He yowled and the cats gathered. They raced out the cave and Dawn watched them when a voice whispered in her ears. "Smoke isn't out there, only a monster is."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"No don't go!" Dawn yelled but the patrol didn't stop. Dawn chased after them but Snow stopped her. Dawn started to cry. "She's not out there, there's only a monster! We have to save them!" Dawn wailed.

"Dawn, we have to stay ok. You can't go." Snow mewed and Dawn walked over to Snow and cried in her fur.

Dawn woke to Leaf and Snow running out of the Kit-Care den. Dawn sleepily padded behind them Owl and Dust next to her. They heard a scream and rushed out and saw the patrol. Dawn gasped at the sight. The warrior were covered in cuts, wounds reopened. Thorn was missing an eye.

"We-we found her. She wasn't Somke though, she was something else. We were running up to her when she attacked us and she was huge. As big as a full size cat but she was, skilled. We couldn't bring her down but we retreated when we had distracted her." Dusk said and Rush ran out to help.

"Sunny, come help." Rush mewed and a pale ginger Trainee with black spots came trotting over. Dawn watched as Sunny and Rush helped. Dusk limped over to her.

"How did you know." He demanded.

"What?"

"How did you know she was a beast. A monster."

"I was told."

"By who?"

"A voice. It told me and I tried to warn you but you wouldn't listen."

Dusk thought then Rush came over and started treating his wounds. "Come talk to me and RuneStar when you can." He mewed and hissed at Rush as he dabbed herb juice on his wounds.

"I knew Smoke was going to be a monster!" Owl hissed.

"Oh come on bro, something probably got to her. She can be saved." Dust mewed.

"No! She's lost now and I don't want her to come back, now that I know what she's capable of." Owl mewed his fur bristling. Dawn blinked her blue eyes and licked them both on the head.

"When we become warriors, we will fight and bring her down. Just you watch." Dawn said and Owl and Dust smiled. Snow padded back into the Kit-Care den hearing mewling and Dawn followed her.

"_More is to come, more you shall see, Smoke is not done, until she kills thee. Train up very fast, and train up very strong, because Smoke isn't waiting for you for very long._" Dawn heard in her head and she looked at the kits. When she looked at Smoky he seemed to smile.

'_It was Smoky?_' She thought. "But how..." Dawn said somewhat to herself. Snow looked at Dawn with frightened eyes.

"You can hear him too?" She mewed, her voice shaking.

"Smoky?" She whispered. Snow nodded and looked at Smoky. 'What's going on?'

Snow seemed to sense the question and reached down and moved a little bit of fur around his chest. A mark appeared it had a big corner, and a little corner. A smaller corner in the bigger corner and a dot in the center. Snow's eyes widened and she moved some chest fur. Same marking. Dawn moved her chest fur and there was the marking. All their markings were black and Dawn looked. "We have the marks of the Rune. Only special cats get this. Sometimes it follows down a family line, sometimes it is random. But if you have the mark of the Rune you are special, able to learn things about somecat that nobody knows.. You can see the bad about to consume cats. Smoke was consumed and Smoky knew what was happening due to their name similarity. He can give us information about her, and her darkness." Snow whispered.

"You are a descendant of an original RuneClan cat. RUneClan was formed log ago and some of the descendants went away. Your family is of that line. You were given the Rune. You are a RuneClan cat." Snow whispered her gaze locking with Dawn and Dawn got a chill.

"You are, a RuneClan cat."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

*3 moons passed*

Dawn felt a prod in her side and she moaned.

"Get up lazy!" She heard Owl purr.

Dawn opened one and with a small smirk. She slapped him with her tail and rolled over.

"Alright, you miss your ceremony." Owl mewed and Dawn was up like a flash.

"That's today!?" She mewed with worry. Smoky tumbled over and giggled.

"Smoky!" Dawn mewed and picked up the kit and walked over to Snow who was rounding up the other kits.

"Mom, Smoky got away." She mewed and yawned. Storm and Dapple were running around and Snow was trying to get them, with no luck.

"Smoky come here please." Snow mewed and looked up and gasped. "You're a mess!" snow mewed and sighed as Dapple scampered over her paw.

"Guys!" Dawn snarled and they all stopped. "Listen to mom!" She yelled and they nodded. '

No need to yell.' Smoky said in her mind. 'Shut it.' She hissed back.

"Alright. Today is your sisters ceremony so please cooperate. I don't want to bring your dad in here." Snow mewed and they sighed. Dusk padded in and noticed they were all sitting in attention.

"Dawn yell at them?"

"Yeah."

"Didn't want to make me come in here?"

"Yes..."

"Alright."

Dusk padded over to Dawn and started grooming her. "You're going to be an excellent Trainee. I already know it." He mewed. Dawn purred then heard RuneStar.

"RuneClan gather for a meeting!" RuneStar yowled and Dawn padded out with Owl and Dust. They sat in the front as the clan gathered behind.

"Today 3 kits become Trainees. It would have been 4 but 3 moons ago we lost Smoke to a monster, the monster she became." RuneStar said and looked around. "Dawn, Owl, and Dust, come up." He mewed and they padded up. Rush padded over with a leaf of the red berry juice. "Do you promise to stay loyal to RuneClan. Respect the Runeclan ways, and never disrespect or betray RuneClan?" RuneStar mewed an chis gaze seemed to rest on Owl and Dust. Flickering between the two of them.

"I do." Owl said, his voice strong.

"I do." Dust mewed.

"I do." Dawn mewed and RuneStar nodded. "You are now Trainee's of RuneClan."

Rush beckoned his trainee, Honey, and she dabbed her paw in and placed it where their dots were, as if to grow the kit paw.

"Owl, your mentor is Dusk. Dawn your mentor is Runner. Dust, your mentor is Red." RuneStar mewed. "Dismissed!"

Dawn, Owl, and Dust leapt down to greet their mentors. They rubbed noses then the Trainees put their heads down and the Mentors licked their head. "We start training tomorrow at dawn." Dusk mewed and the warriors padded off.

"We're Trainees!" Owl mewed jumping about and Dawn giggled. "I can't wait for to-"

"We found a cat! It's not one of the RogueClan cats, this cat is from far away!" Silver yowled running through the entrance.

Flame and Grass padded in the a cat stretched across their back. Owl, Dust, and Dawn were over there.

"There are more but we could only grab this one." Silver mewed.

"Where?"

"By the river."

"Thorn, Red, Ginger, Oak, Pine, Night, Stone, Twig, Mud, and Cloud, lets get the rest!" Dusk yowled and the cats ran out of the entrance.

"I'm guessing the extra's are for if Smoke attacks." Owl mewed.

"Maybe, but why would a cat come all this way?" Dust mewed.

Dawn crept closer to the cat. 'He looks familiar...' She thought then the cat opened his eyes. One green, one hazel and they widened seeing Dawn. She gasped and took a step back. "It can't be..." She whispered and Owl and Dust padded next to her.

"What is it?" Flame mewed.

"Dawnkit... I found you..." The tom mewed and Owl looked at Dawn and she was crying. She ran over and nuzzled the tom and he smiled.

"Who is this tom? How do you know him?" Grass mewed stomping her paw to the ground. Dawn looked up with a smile. "He's my dad."


End file.
